Pornography Use and Intimate Partner Violence Among a Sample of U.S. Army Soldiers in 2018: A Cross-Sectional Study

• Published in: Archives of sexual behavior Vol. 50; no. 5; pp. 2245 - 2257
• Main Authors: Beymer, Matthew R., Hill, Christopher G., Perry, Michelle A., Johnson, Latoya D., Jarvis, Brantley P., Pecko, Joseph A., Humphries, Jennifer L., Watkins, Eren Youmans
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.07.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Age groups; Armed forces; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Cross-sectional studies; Domestic violence; Emotional abuse; Intimate partner violence; Military personnel; Original Paper; Pornography; Pornography & obscenity; Post traumatic stress disorder; Psychology; Public Health; Race relations; Sexual Behavior; Social Sciences; Trauma; United States > US; US Army; Intimate partner violence; Pornography
• ISSN: 0004-0002; 1573-2800
• DOI: 10.1007/s10508-021-01924-x

The objective of the present study was to determine whether there is an association between pornography use and reported intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration among a sample of soldiers in the US Army. The study was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional data collected from soldiers at a military installation in 2018 ( n  = 9,052). IPV was defined as any self-reported perpetration of physical, sexual, or psychological abuse of an intimate partner. Multivariable negative binomial regressions were used to assess the association between pornography use and any lifetime perpetration of IPV, controlling for gender, age group, race/ethnicity, relationship status, educational status, military rank, hazardous drinking, depression, stimulant use, depressant use, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Of the population analyzed, 41% of soldiers reported any pornography use per week, and 9.6% reported perpetrating any form of IPV. Soldiers who reported pornography use had between a 1.72- and 3.56-fold greater likelihood of reporting any lifetime perpetration of IPV, controlling for covariates. Given the prevalence and detrimental effects of IPV, longitudinal studies should be designed to further understand predictors of IPV in military populations.